Treater for intermittently treating fluid



Dec. 29, 1931. c, EDDY 1,838,375

THEATER FOR INTERMITTENTLY TREATING FLUID Filed NOV. 14, 1927 Fig.1.

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' mated Dec. 29,1931

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAROLD C. EDDY, 01' L AN GELES, CALIFORNIA ASSIGNOR TO PETROLEUM BECTIFY- ING COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA THEATER FOR INTEBMITTENTLY TREATING: ,FLUID Application filed November 14, 1927. Serial No. 233,024.

My invention relates to electrical treaters which are used for treating mixtures when 1t is desired to separate the constituents thereof.

My invention finds a peculiar utility in sep- 5 arating the water from oil-and-water II'llX- tures and it is in this connection that I shallparticularly describe it without limiting myself thereto.

In the petroleum industry it is common for water and oil to become intermixed. It is necessary to separate these constituents before the pure oil can be marketed. One method of. separating these two constituents is to break, down the emulsion by the use of an electric treater which subjects the IIllX- ture to theaction of an electric field, thus coalescing the particles of water into masses --of suflicient size to separate from the oil by the influence of gravity.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple and improved electrical treater.

Another object of the invention is to provide a treater in which the fluid to be treated space. I

Still anotherobject of my invention is to provide a treater in which no short-circuiting will occur between the electrodes.

Still a further object of this invention isto, provide a novel method of treating an emuL sion by supplying this emulsion intermlttently to a treating space, as well as toprovide a novel method wherein the emulsion is successively introducedinto the treating space at a pluraiity of diflerent points.

Other objects and advantages willbecome P apparent in the following description. The preferred form of my invention 1s shown in the drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the. line 22 of Fig. 1, this view also showing the distributor of my invention.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the distributor of my invention.

Referring in particular to the drawings, the invention provides a shell 10 having a cylindrical side wall 11 closed at its, lower end by a bottom member 12 and at its upper t m'tt ntl su lied to the treatin 1S m er 1 e y pp to the nozzles 26 to 29. As best s own in end by a top member 13. The shell 10- comprises a primary electrode 14 of my invention.

Extending through the top member 13 is an insulator 15 through which a rod 16 extends. The rod 16 carries at its lower end a. hub 17 from which arms 18 extend outward to support a cylindrical plate 20. The cylindrical plate 20 comprises-a secondary electrode 22 of'my invention, there being a treating space 25 between the primary electrode 14 and the seconda electrode 22.

Extending throng the side wall 11 of the primary electrode 14 are four nozzles, 26 to 29 .inclusive, which are adapted to supply a fluid to be treated into the treating space 25 and to impinge this fluid on the secondary electrode 22. p I

A distributor 35 of my invention is addpted to supply this fluid to be treated to the nozzles 26 to 29 inclusive. The distributor comprises a shell 36 having pipes 38 to 41 inclusive communicating with the interior thereof, these pipes connecting res ectively extends through a stufling box 49 and has a ulley 50 or other suitable driving means connected thereto. The drum 45 has a cylindrical wall 52 which is adapted to rotate immediately adjacent, to the interior surface of the shell 36. Formed through the cylindrical wall 52 is an opening 55 which is adapted to allow successive communication between the interior of the drum 45 and the pipes 38 to 41 inclusive; The fluid to be treated is supplied to the interior of the drum 45 by a supply pipe-56 which extends into the lower wall of the shell 36. As the shaft 47 is rotated, the drum 45 is rotated therewith and allows the fluid passing through the fluid-supply pipe 56 to successively pass through the pipes 38 to 41, this fluid bein proJected into the treating space 25 througll the nozzles 26 to 29 respectively.

prefer to have the openin 55 of such a size that fluid will be supplied flirough one of the pipes 38 to 41 inclusive up to the instant that it is su plied through the succeeding pipe. It is a so entirely possible to make the opening 55 narrower so that fluid may be supplied to one of the pipes 38 to 41, this flow of fluid bein then stopped b a further revolution of t e drum 45 an again started through another of the pipes after an ap reciable lapse of time. In the latter event uld would not only be su plied to the nozzles 26 to 29 successively, but there would be a time interval of no flow between the flow of fluid from successive nozzles.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

An electric field is established between the primary and secondary electrodes 14 and 22 y means of a transformer 58 having a secondary 59 electrically connected to these electrodes. Fluid to be treated is then supplied to the supply pipe 56 and the shaft 47 is then turned by means of the pulley 50. The fluid to be treated is su plied successively to the nozzles 26 to 29 inc usive, as above described. This fluid enters the treatin space 25 and is acted upon by the electric field therein. This electric field agglomerates the particles of water into masses of suificient size to gravitate from the fluid being treated, these par ticles falling in the treating space 25 and being deposited in the lower portion of the shell 10 from which they may be removed by means of a pipe 61. The clear oil rises to the top of the shell 10 and may be drawn off through a pipe 62 communicating therewith.

The fluid entering any one of the nozzles 26 to 29 flows across the treating s ace 25 and impin es upon the secondary e ectrode 22. This ow occurs over a relatively short period of time, during which time a charge of the fluid is forced into the treating space 25 immediately adjacent to the nozzle supplying the fluid. This wet fluid is immediately subjected to the action of the electric field and forms a path of least resistance through the treating space 25. Before any short-clrcuiting can occur, however, the flow of fluid through this particular nozzle is stopped and is transferred to another of the nozzles. Thus, the bod of fluid forced through the first nozzle wi 1 be gradually separated into its constituents, during which time the flow of fluid is transferred to the other nozzles. It should be apparent that the path of least resistance through the treating space occurs at the nozzle which is at that instance supplying fluid to the treating space. Thus, this path of least resistance is transferred to different parts of the treating space and is quickl formed into a path of higher resistance ue to the action of the electric field on the fluid introduced.

Various modifications mi ht be made without depParting from the spirit of my invention. or instance the distributor 35 might be connected to the nozzles so as to supply fluid through the nozzles in the sequence 26, 28, 27, and 29 instead of in the sequence following a given direction around the shell 10, as previously described. So, alsd, any form of distributor might be used with the treater of my invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The feature of impinging a stream of emulsion onto. an electrode of opposite polarity is not in itself a part of the resent invention except as it is combined wi h an intermittent supply of emulsion to the nozzle, this feature being broadly claimed in my copending application Serial No. 233,023.

I claim as my invention 1. An electrical treater, com risin a primary electrode; a secondary e ectrode, there being a treating space between said electrodes; and means for intermittently introducing a fluid into said treating space.

2. n electrical treater, com rising: a rimary electrode; a secondary elbctrode, t ere being a treating space between said electrodes; and means for intermittently introducing a fluid into said treating space at each of a plurality of different points.

3. An electrical treater, com risin :a rimary electrode; a secondary electrode, tlibre mi! being a treating space between said electrodes; nozzles mounted in spaced relationship, said nozzles being adapted to supply a fluid into said treating space; and means for intermittently supplying fluid to each of said m nozzles.

4. An electrical treater, comprising: a primary electrode; a secondary electrode, there being a treating space between said electrodes; nozzles mounted in said primary electrode, said nozzles being adapted to supply a fluid into said treating space; and means for intermittently supplying fluid to each of said nozzles.

5. An electrical treater, comprising: a primary electrode; a secondary electrode, there being a treating space between said electrodes; fluid-supply means communicating with different portions of said treating space; and means for successively supplying fluid to said fluid-supply means.

6. An electrical treater, comprising: a primary electrode; a secondary electrode, there being a treating space between said elecis trodes; nozzles adapted to supply a fluid to different sections of said treating space; and means for intermittently and successively supplying fluid to said nozzles.

7. A combination as defined in claim 4 in 1 which said nozzles are adapted to impinge fluid on said secondary electrode.

8. An electrical treater, comprising: a shell forming a primary electrode; a secondary electrode insulated from, and supported in, said shell; means for establishing an electric field in a treating space between said electrodes; nozzles directed into said treating space; and means for intermittently supplying a fluid to each of said nozzles.

9. n electrical treater, comprising: a shell forming a primary electrode; a second ary electrode insulated from, and supported in, said shell; means for establishing an elec- 1 tric field in a treating space between said electrodes; nozzles mounted in said shell and directed into said treating space; and means for intermittently supplying a fluid to each of said nozzles.

m 10. An electrical treater, comprising: a

shell forming a primary electrode; a secondary electrode insulated from, and supported in, said shell; means for establishing an electric field in a treating space between said electrodes; nozzles, directed into said treating space; and means for successively supplying a fluid to said nozzles.

11. A method of breaking emulsions, which includes the steps of: setting up an electric l0 field; and intermittently introducing emulsion into said field at a given section.

12. A method of breaking emulsions, which includes the steps of: settlng up an electric field; introducing a char e of emulsion at a 85 primary point in said fiel and subsequently introducing another charge of emulsion at a secondary point in said field.

13. A method of breaking emulsions, which includes the steps of: settin up an electric 'Q field; and distributing a su stantially constant stream of emulsion to diflerent sections of said, field in succession.

'14. A method of breaking an emulsion, which includes the steps of: setting up an electric field; introducing into said electric field an emulsion having a short-circuiting tendency; and shutting ofi the supply of said emulsion after a relatively short period of said field at different sections thereof streams of an emulsion having short-circuiting tendencies if supplied continuously to said field;

time and before any short-circuiting of said field can take'place adjacent the section at which said emulsion was introduced.

15. A method of breaking an emulsion,

which includes the steps of: setting up an electric field; introducing into said electric field an emulsion having a short-circuitin tendency; shutting off the supply of sai emulsion after a relatively short period of time and before any short-circuiting of said field can take place adjacent the section at which said emulsion was introduced; and again sup lyin emulsion to said field at said section a r s ort-circuitin danger from the emulsion first introduced as passed.

' 16. A method which includes the steps of:

65 setting up an electric field; introducing into 

